Kit Harington leads 'Thrones' film assault in 'Pompeii'

Feb. 19, 2014
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Kit Harington moves from "Game of Thrones" to leading the epic gladiator love story "Pompeii." Photographed in the Outer Peristyle at the Getty Villa, in Pacific Palisades, Calif. / Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY

by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

Kit Harington already has seen more than his share of bloody conflict while starring as sword-wielding Jon Snow in three seasons of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.

But the mayhem keeps coming as the English actor makes his leading-man screen debut in the Paul W.S. Anderson epic Pompeii, opening Friday. Harington, 27, finds himself in the gladiatorial arena fighting for his life against deadly foes and a big volcano.

"I seem to follow carnage, or carnage follows me," says Harington. "This movie came about because of Game of Thrones, there's no doubt about it. The show started this big bloody mess off. And it has carried on."

Harington is just one of several Thrones stars making a move onto the big screen, often in similarly violent situations. Emilia Clarke (who plays Daenerys Targaryen) will star in 2015's Terminator: Genesis reboot, and Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell) will portray a revolutionary in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay films starting in November. Richard Madden (Robb Stark), takes on a slight variation of the theme, playing Prince Charming in Kenneth Branagh's live-action version of Cinderella (2015).

"It's interesting how we, for the most part, are portraying these quite tough people, being once-unknowns in this industry," says Harington.

Pompeii director Anderson says he was turned on to Game of Thrones by his wife and made it through two seasons in 48 hours. "For me, Kit was the man that stood out. He was the one I thought was the movie star waiting to happen."

Thrones had provided on-the-job training for Harington as he prepped for his gladiator role in Pompeii, which is set against the backdrop of the deadly explosion of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. "It did help that they knew I could sword fight," he says.

Anderson asked Harington to keep the distinctive long hair he wears in Thrones and to tone his body. The actor quit drinking his beloved pints and spent four months getting into gladiator shape to don his revealing leather armor for the Roman arena. Special effects were saved for the volcano, not his abs, he insists.

"Those are 100% me and a lot of work," says Harington. "That wasn't steroids or anything. That was (bleeping) hard graft."

Harington knows that he will eventually have to branch out into other genres even after taking the voice part of a villainous warrior in How to Train Your Dragon 2 (due June 13).

"I'm on the way to being typecast," says Harington. "I am looking for a more modern thing. I have an urge to step into this century a little bit."

Leaving Thrones is always a possibility for Harington, given the show's many surprise killings of even lead characters. He'll be a fixture in the upcoming season four, which begins April 6, but he's mum about his future with the show beyond that.

"I've always felt with Thrones, all of us do, that we are so very lucky to be in this thing," says Harington. "But if we are going to go out, at least give us a stylish death. Then we'll be happy."